Unreasonable. Non-negotiable. Unapologetic. They all basically mean the same thing: I refuse to accept anything other than what I expect. There may be areas in your life where you are willing to waver or bend your standards, but not THAT thing for which you are a snob about. I believe
Unbreakable. What does that word even mean?? Can not be broken? Invincible? I recently found myself musing on that word until something hit me. How would you KNOW that something is unbreakable? A clear, marketing slogan? A money-back guarantee? A warranty? I mean, how would you actually know that something
July 10, 2018 Someone recently asked me, “What is luxury?” I told him that luxury means worry-free. It means everything has been thought of already for you. Every detail has been checked and re-checked before you purchase something. Whenever you have to wonder if something is going to get done,
I love service. I love to see people treated well. Exceptionally well. I also love to see people come to work with honor and passion for their craft. No matter what that craft is. People often think that service excellence is all about the touchpoints, service steps, and amenities involved.
Stop! Please. Just Stop. If I hear one more leadership team say that their company’s desire is to build a “Culture of Excellence”, I might just pass out. I know that it sounds good and looks good to use words like Culture and Excellence. When used in team meetings and
The world needs more people who nudge each other. People who call each other out when things are not good AND who lift each other up when things go well. As I travel around the globe and work with various clients, I’ve noticed an alarming trend. There aren’t as many
This article is not about your company’s standards. It’s not about your department’s standards or your team’s standards. This article is not even about what others expect of you. My sole purpose for this article is to write to you…about you. This will be about your own expectations and standards
Habits are not bad. Bad habits are bad. Having daily huddles with your team is a good habit. Learning your customers’ preferences is a good habit. Smiling when you answer the phone is a good habit. Anyone who is in a leadership role must become proficient at cultivating, encouraging, and
I am convinced that one of the biggest problems in organizations is apathy. Even more than negativity. Negativity is obvious, therefore, can be addressed directly. Whereas, apathy can be masked. It can be subtle. Easy to overlook. Apathy can show up in many ways: chronic tardiness, no input in meetings
I was in a hotel gym recently running on the treadmill, and I noticed a man pacing back and forth talking loudly on his phone. He must have made 3 calls in less than 7 minutes. On every call he sounded agitated. After he hung up the last call, he
There were so many times in my career when I should have been fired. No question. Times when it was perfectly logical, reasonable, and justifiable to let me go. Somehow, someway…countless people gave me opportunity after opportunity after opportunity. People believed in me, when I oftentimes gave them no reason
Horst Schulze, who is the former President and COO of the Ritz-Carlton (and one of my biggest influences) always said that rule #1 is to keep the customer. For any organization to be successful, they must become proficient at keeping customers (and not lose them). Keep them happy. Keep them
